Alpocalypse
by Weird Al Yankovic
  • Record Label: Jive
  • Release Date: Jun 21, 2011
User Score
8.1

Universal acclaim- based on 16 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 16
  3. Negative: 1 out of 16
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  1. PyongyangMayor
    Aug 17, 2014
    7
    This album (Alpocalypse) is Weird Al Yankovic's 13th album. Not his best, in fact it's his worse. Is it bad though? No, not really. This goes to show that even at Yankovic's worst, he's still better than most artists at their best.
  2. sil3nt_nick
    Mar 24, 2013
    5
    Weird Al certainly made a good comeback with his cleverly written parodies of Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" and Miley Cyrus's "Party In The USA." Most songs are so-so, although a few are very good.
  3. DME
    Apr 27, 2012
    7
    It doesn't sound fresh or new, but it's quite funny. Alpocalypse suceeded in making me laugh. "Party in the CIA", "Another Tatoo", and "Craigslist" were my favorites.
  4. MSAddict
    Sep 4, 2011
    8
    A very good album, but one that I did not enjoy quite as much as 'Straight Outta Lynwood' a few years ago. Some of the highlights include 'Preform This Way', 'TMZ', 'Craigslist', and the oft-occurring polka medley 'Polka Face'. Other hits on the soundtrack feel more forced, namely 'Party in the CIA'. While not bad, it doesn't have the same fun-loving feel that I've come to expect fromA very good album, but one that I did not enjoy quite as much as 'Straight Outta Lynwood' a few years ago. Some of the highlights include 'Preform This Way', 'TMZ', 'Craigslist', and the oft-occurring polka medley 'Polka Face'. Other hits on the soundtrack feel more forced, namely 'Party in the CIA'. While not bad, it doesn't have the same fun-loving feel that I've come to expect from Yankovic's work. All in all, an amazing album that I will certainly be listening to in the near future.… Expand
  5. ManilaCritic
    Jun 30, 2011
    10
    I'm just gonna keep it short and simple, this is an amazing comedy album. Worth the wait. People don't see the art of music in a comedy album, I hope this album will prove those people wrong.
  6. MooziikMaster
    Jun 27, 2011
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I don't think that this man can make a bad album. This album is no exception. He creatively uses themes and songs that everyone knows and creates his own "Frankenstein" of a song with each one. He offers a wider variety of song choices in this album with pop parodies (from Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, etc.) and alternative/rock parodies (from The White Stripes, The Doors, and Queen). The polka in this album is one of the better ones, poking fun at #1 hits on the radio and other popular songs that everyone is tired of. The absolute best of this album are "Perform This Way", "CNR", "Craigslist", "Skipper Dan", "Polka Face", and "Ringtone". Another gem in the music industry by the funniest parody man alive, "Weird Al" Yankovic! Buy it now!… Expand
  7. PhilTheBrony
    Jun 23, 2011
    8
    I've been a massive fan of Weird Al for almost all my life; I own physical copies of all his albums, even the ones I don't think are all that great. Coming from that perspective how does "Alpocalypse" compare to the many that came before it?

    Well, it holds up pretty well. No, it isn't one of his absolute best like, "In 3D" or "Off the Deep End", but it's even further from the "Polka    I've been a massive fan of Weird Al for almost all my life; I own physical copies of all his albums, even the ones I don't think are all that great. Coming from that perspective how does "Alpocalypse" compare to the many that came before it?

    Well, it holds up pretty well. No, it isn't one of his absolute best like, "In 3D" or "Off the Deep End", but it's even further from the "Polka Party"/"Poodle Hat" side of the spectrum. Really, it's a solid disc full of thoroughly amusing music. Yes, a lot of it is not completely new. Almost half the album came off the "Internet Leaks" EP. Even the Polka medley was being played on Al's last tour.

    Looking at it song by song, "Perform this Way" starts us off. This is one of the more unimpressive songs on the disk in my opinion. Sure it manages a few good, silly lines, but it's one of those songs that really needs the accompanying visuals of the music video to be great. On it's own, it's a little lacking. Yet it's okay, because following that we have a real winner in "CNR". This song is a rocking and hilarious send up of The White Stripes, Chuck Norris Facts and the late great Charles Nelson Reiley.

    After that, we have our second parody, "TMZ", a parody of a song by Taylor Swift. This song is very smartly written. I'm not very familiar with the original song, but I still rather enjoy this cut. A little light on substance, but it's fun and doesn't outstay it's welcome. Following that is another style parody from "Internet Leaks", "Skipper Dan", which is another absolute winner. The humor is a little darker than Al is typically known for, being the tale of a talented man who gets sucked into a life of bleak monotony, but that's what makes it so strong in my opinion. Especially since the dark downward spiral of the titular Dan is contrasted with a poppy Weezer riff. Great stuff, even if you've heard it before.

    Polka Face is next on the album. This is a hilarious polka mix that really highlights the banality and lack of substance in a lot of today's music. It's hard not to smile at hearing Al gleefully play his accordion while he rips through the likes of Just Bieber, Katy Perry and Ke$ha. Yet another "Internet leaks" track follows that, "Craigslist". This is one of the best tracks of the album for us classic rock fans, or anyone familiar with The Door's famous sound. Al's Morrison impression is superb and hilarious.

    "Party in the CIA" follows. This might be my favorite song on the album in a lot of ways. It's just so ridiculous. The juxtaposition of Miley's fluff party song's melody and lyrics about assassination and torture just makes me smile for some reason. And laugh. A lot. "Ringtone" from "Internet Leaks" follows that. This is an amusing Queen send up; I always felt it was the weakest track from "Internet Leaks" but that doesn't mean it's bad. The bridge section listing off some of the people who hate the singer's ringtone is still just brilliant.

    "Another Tattoo" is next. I've never heard the original here, but this song is a delight. For anyone who knows or have even just seen some dude walking down the street, tattoos on even their neck and face, and stopped to wonder what exactly was wrong with them, the song should work well. After that is the lone new original "If That Isn't Love". This is my least favorite cut. The humor is a little too juvenile for my tastes. Really, it's pretty disposable.

    "Whatever you Like" is after that. This was the first song written for the album, but despite that (and unfortunately given the subject matter) it's as timely as ever. It's still a funny track, but if you're an Al fan it really is old news by now. The grand finale is one of the very best songs on the album "Stop Forwarding This Crap To Me" is patterned off of the compositions of Jim Steinman, famous for penning Meat Loaf's best moments. This song is dynamic and impressive even before you take the hilariously biting lyrics into account. It's impossible to ignore the lyrics though, as they are absolute winners for practically anyone who uses e-mail.

    Finally, something should be said of the accompanying DVD that comes with the album. This is a little more hit or miss. Some of the videos just have the wrong ideas as to how to capture the song. "Party In the CIA" would have been better served if it was some cheerful approximation of Miley Cyrus at the focus of the action, rather than the blocky characters the animators uses. "TMZ"s video doesn't work either. It's not funny and more distracts from than it does enhance the song. Most of the "Internet Leaks" videos hold up much better (especially the perfect Doors spoof "Craigslist" video). The kinetic typography of the final track is another absolute success, highlighting the smart lyrics and the impressive dynamics of the song.

    Oh, and the CD cover art is probably the best I've ever seen, for whatever that's worth.    … Expand
  8. Captiosus
    Jun 21, 2011
    3
    The master of music parody is back! One small problem, he clearly forgot to bring his A-game to this album. In fact, it's probably one of his worst albums of his discography. Don't expect classic parodies that will stick in your head like Eat It, Fat, Addicted to Spuds, Smells Like Nirvana, White & Nerdy, so on and so forth. Most of the parodies on this album feel forced and uninspired.The master of music parody is back! One small problem, he clearly forgot to bring his A-game to this album. In fact, it's probably one of his worst albums of his discography. Don't expect classic parodies that will stick in your head like Eat It, Fat, Addicted to Spuds, Smells Like Nirvana, White & Nerdy, so on and so forth. Most of the parodies on this album feel forced and uninspired. The obligatory polka medley is boring and hackneyed and a vast majority of his "original" content was available a year ago on the "Internet Leaks" EP. For almost 5 years between albums, and nearly a year between the release of the "Internet Leaks", I expected better. It feels almost as though Al would be content to drop doing parodies all together and just make pseudo-parody, period, pieces like the Doors-esque "Craigslist".… Expand
  9. xVehemencityx
    Jun 21, 2011
    10
    "Weird Al" Yankovic delivers again! "Alpocalypse" is an incredible work of art, with subtly hidden jokes directed at the original artists, and the lyrics are as good as ever. This album is definitely a buy.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
70

Generally favorable reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. PopMatters
    Aug 10, 2011
    60
    Alpocalypse may not be his strongest record, but it does what only Weird Al Yankovic can do, and he's been doing for nearly 30 years now, so he must be doing something right.
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  2. Consequence
    Jun 30, 2011
    70
    There is no perfect Weird Al album. Each of his records act as a cross section of culture. They become time capsules.
    Read full review
  3. American Songwriter
    Jun 28, 2011
    70
    The original songs here are, perhaps surprisingly, stronger than the parodies, and Yankovich shines brightest when he is just being funny without a direct target.
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